NPP Community Meeting (Conditional Use)
Hello, my name is Michael Ransom Backus. I am a tattoo artist and painter. I specialize in large scale Japanese, American Traditional, and Geometric tattoo designs. After years of traveling to hone my craft, I settled in New Orleans in 2019.
Intention:
The company, NOLA Vista Properties LLC, owns a building at 4516 Magazine Street and I, Michael Ransom Backus, am leasing that space. Together, we are applying for a zoning text amendment for conditional use of the space as a tattoo parlor and art gallery. The gallery will be named RōNIN TATTOO SOCIETY.
RōNIN TATTOO SOCIETY will be a space for tattoo enthusiasts to receive the best quality tattoos in a safe, clean, and community-focused environment, and for local artists to showcase and sell their art. It is my intention to create a space that focuses on the clients’ and artists’ experiences. I will run an equal opportunity studio and gallery, open to all people, regardless of ethnicity, race, or gender.
Unfortunately, some studios are not following COVID safety procedures. I take my clients’ and community’s health and safety very seriously, which is what drove me to open my own studio. My studio will be in strict compliance with all regulations set by the Department of Health, our mayor, and governor. Again, health and safety is my first concern.
The studio would be open daily and by appointment only for the foreseeable future. Due to our current health crisis, we would house a maximum of 4 artists (including myself), therefore permitting no more than 4 clients in the studio at a time. Hours of operation would be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
I also intend to contribute positively to the fabric of this neighborhood. I bring a history of raising money for charities close to my heart, and will continue to do so. Most recently, I designed and sold shirts to raise funds for Wellspring, a not-for-profit organization that offers counseling to, and advocates for, victims of sexual and domestic abuse.
The site is located in an HU-B1 Neighborhood Mixed-Use District, where a tattoo parlor is a Conditional Use, according to Article 12, Section 12.3.A.1 (Table 12-2) of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, which means we are required to apply for approval to open a tattoo parlor. The site is a 500 square foot, one-story commercial structure. On-street parking will be provided and no variance or waivers are required.
Our application must be heard by the City Planning Commission and the City Council. Under normal circumstances we would hold a in-person NPP meeting, but due to the pandemic, we are informing the community of our intentions via this webpage. This is required before we submit our application to the City Planning Commission.
Below you will find a layout of the space in inches, as well as my proposed layout of the studio when we are ready to open. The parlor would occupy the building at 4516 Magazine Street, with the front pedestrian entrance on Magazine Street. The site is currently empty but was formerly a haberdashery. If we receive approval, we plan to start decorating and estimate an opening date within a week of the approval.
Please feel free to fill out the form on the bottom of this page to sign in to this virtual meeting. You may also leave any questions or concerns you have about this business, and I will respond. Please be aware that any comment or sign in, as well as the accompanying response, is required to be passed along to the City Planning Commission with our application. I hope to see you around the neighborhood!
Current Layout:
Proposed set up for RōNIN TATTOO SOCIETY:
Please send any comments by December 1st, 2020 so we may move forward with the zoning process.
Sincerely,
Ransom Backus
If for some reason your browser is not displaying the comment form, you can send any meeting sign ins or comments to ransom@ransombackus.com